Location: Uncharted Space.

Far Outer Rim,

Thirty nine days after Battle of Geonosis

"Are there any nearby star systems we could make it to?"

Right'eye, after scrolling through the Navi-computer screen, smiled while turning the ships sensors on... a few seconds later, a local map appeared on the ships Holo-projector, showing star systems detected nearby...

"There's this one here," he said pointing to the Holo-graphic star system, "we're just coming up to it, but it doesn't appear to match any known systems in the database... it's likely uncharted," he finished looking up.

"What does he mean by 'uncharted'?" Jumps questioned as he walked back into the cockpit, where Riot was already sitting in the pilots seat... both shinies gazed out at the stars twinkling around them. It was a beautiful view... if not disconcertingly vast... Jumps suddenly felt very insignificant.

"He means it's one of the thousands of observed but never fully explored outer-rim systems," Tens replied absently as he watched the Holographic image in front of him. Flash training always seemed to provide the answers to Jumps most annoying questions.

With a smirk, Tens glanced back to the cockpit, "When I said never fully explored... I meant by the Republic... I'm sure pirates and smugglers have been to the system... but not much else."

Tens thoroughly enjoyed stirring the two shinies. Jumps unconsciously moved a little closer to his brother in the pilot's seat.

"Pirates?" Riot shifted in his seat, "You don't think we'll run into any do you?" he asked nervously while staring blankly out at the dim star system nearby.

Tens laughed, "If we do ner vod, I'll make sure you're the one we send out to negotiate with them!"

"I think Pirates are the least of our worries," Right'eye shot Tens a knowing look.

"What we need to do is get to that star system and find a way of contacting the fleet, something's interfering with our transmitter..."

Ever since their time on Kamino, Tens had assumed the second in charge position... if an authority figure wasn't present, Tens usually took up the mantle. Thus, not being ranked any higher than the other three troopers, they had, unwittingly handed him the responsibility.

It was now his mission, to get them all home alive.

With a pang of guilt, Tens thought of his new squad brothers from the 442nd Siege Battalion, or what remained of them, knowing they were unarmed targets in escape pods, floating aimlessly until their oxygen supply dwindled or they were picked off by the Separatist Navy. It was a terrible fate.

The veteran 442nd troopers had accepted Right'eye and Tens into their squad, encouraging them to swap the familiar Five-oh-first blue for the four-forty-second's green.

The brothers-by-choice had earned the right, being the lone survivors of their original 501st squad on Geonosis. The transfer to the 442nd had happened soon after... but a lot of brothers never made it off the tan deathtrap... and those that did... those lucky enough to be alive, would never forget it.

A mixture of gratitude and guilt welled in Tens... but he pushed the feelings aside and focused on the present, looking with a sigh at the shinie sitting in the helm of the vessel.

"Right'eye," Tens nodded his head towards the cockpit, "why don't you try your hand at flying this ship for a while? I think our new pirate ambassador's shebs could use a break."

While Riot's quick thinking and piloting had managed to get them off the crumbling Destroyer, it occurred to Tens that Right'eye also had some piloting experience... getting the old squad out of more than one sticky situation back on Geonosis.

Geonosis…

Everything in Tens' short life was always measured against Geonosis.

After some complaining from Riot, Right'eye seized hold of the controls and after a full systems check, piloted them towards the uncharted system.

#

Looking at the ships Holo-projector, Tens was impressed with how many planets the system had... his brothers seemed equally surprised with the plethora of planets in the new system.

It was time to begin the task of choosing one to land on.

"Do any of these gas giants look habitable?" Riot asked while gazing with wonder at a large blue planet the ship was currently passing.

"No, we're looking for smaller planets or moons. Anything with life signatures," Tens replied evenly before turning to the trooper on his left, "Jumps, use the ships scanners and sensors to look for any droid or life signatures on the planets we're passing. If the ship's leaking coolant, I don't want to double back for something we missed earlier. Right'eye will show you where the scanner interface is."

"On it," Jumps grinned, glad he finally received an assignment. Walking to the cockpit, he joyfully sat down next to Right'eye, who cast a look of annoyance back at Tens... who only smiled back.

"Oh and Jumps, make sure to send out a distress signal as well, I doubt it will reach anyone this far out, especially with our transmitters buggered up, but we might as well try."

"Sir?" Riot stood up from where he was sitting in the cabin before walking over to Tens, "What do you want me to do?"

Sighing, Tens looked at the young man in front of him...

"The name is Tens, Riot. Let's drop the Sir bit. What I need you to do is very important... I need to you to catalogue everything in the ship. All supplies, excess cargo and all emergency gear. Send the list to my HUD when you're finished. Keep a lookout for any extra weapons, they may come in handy. Think you can handle that?"

"Yes, Sir!" Riot stood at attention, before wincing.

"At ease Riot," Tens shook his head in irritation, not wanting to dampen the trooper's enthusiasm.

"Yes Sir, I mean sorry Sir, er…" stumbling, he tried to figure out how to deal with the ranking situation.

Finally losing his patience, Tens pointed to the lower deck, "move it trooper!"

Riot knew that tone well, and his response was instinctive, running off to start cataloging.

Walking into the cockpit, Tens raised an eyebrow to Right'eye, who scoffed back a laugh in understanding.

They would have to 'officially' make one of them their superior, an unofficial non-com.

Tens knew Right'eye wouldn't want the job, which left himself as the next best candidate; or the only candidate. There was no way Tens was about to let two shinies take control of the situation.

Taking a counter-orbital track through the system, they passed two more gas giants; neither of which showed any signs of intelligent life. However, the first rocky planet they approached showed signs of something.

"Bingo! There's something on the rock just ahead!" Jumps examined the console in front of him and began flicking switches, his face beaming with excitement.

"What've we got?"

They needed to observe caution in their current predicament. Who knew what types of creatures lived in this system? Or what type of weapons they had?

Moving to the side, Jumps allowed Tens some space to view the scanner for himself.

"It's showing robotic activity on the surface of the red planet ahead of us..." Jumps pointed at the display screen, "looks like the northern pole to be precise," he looked up at Tens who was neither frowning nor smiling, just thinking.

'Aww kriff! Another fekking desert planet!'

"Well, that's something," he sighed, thinking about the possibility of running into an isolated Sep outpost.

"Right'eye, take us down slowly and land near one of those tinnies. Let's keep our distance though. The last thing we need right now is any trouble, pirate, Sep or unhappy alien."

"Yes Sir!" Right'eye replied with a smirk, before directing the craft towards the red planet and beginning the landing sequence.

(Updated 4-30-17)